Effects of coronavirus on professional races

[Koronin]

Well for someone like Bardet, this is likely the year to try Flanders and Paris-Roubiax.

 

[Merckx index]

I never heard of the queen stage of a GT being in the first week before.

 

[KZD]

Well for someone like Bardet, this is likely the year to try Flanders and Paris-Roubiax.

I wonder if someone like Thomas will do the same considering his classics background.

 

[RedheadDane]

I wonder if someone like Thomas will do the same considering his classics background.

For Thomas it wouldn't exactly be a case of trying for the first time. He's finished top-10 in both races.

 

[postmanhat]

Finally, a women's Roubaix. Good to see something positive come out of this.

Will be really interesting to see who comes to the top on the real stones, riders like Vos, Deignan and Niewiadoma have the bike skills but what about the raw flat power? I'm excited to find out how the top all rounders fare against the pure rouleurs

Lucinda Brand was the first name that came to mind for me. This might be the race I'm anticipating most

 

[Koronin]

I wonder if someone like Thomas will do the same considering his classics background.

Actually it could make sense.

 

[42x16ss]

Lucinda Brand was the first name that came to mind for me. This might be the race I'm anticipating most

Brand could well be in with a chance thanks to her cross background, especially with this year's time slot.

Van Vleuten has been commenting on Roubaix since it was announced, and sounds like she's going to be there no matter what. She'd probably take a team car and go down by herself to do it if necessary.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Deutschlandtour is cancelled for sure. The only races that could take place if they could find some space in the calendar would be Frankfurt and Hamburg. But it's telling that the UCI did not incorporate those in the current, already very optimistic plans. There's no lobby for them in Germany and the fact that the Bundesliga will start again does not mean things are fully back to normal here, it just shows how high much of a priority football is in this country.

Germany (generally speaking) doesn't like cycling, as we all know.

 

[Koronin]

La Vuelta has announced they will not be going into Portugal for this year's edition. They don't plan on cancelling that stage, just moving it.

 

[BlueRoads]

I hope the WCs are not moved to the UAE or Qatar or Oman. Now there's a race I'd rather not have. Marca is not an incredibly reliable source, is it?

 

[hayneplane]

I hope the WCs are not moved to the UAE or Qatar or Oman. Now there's a race I'd rather not have. Marca is not an incredibly reliable source, is it?

It might be better than cancelling entirely. Could move Switzerland Worlds to the nearest year that has not already been decided.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Definitely better than cancelling. It's the biggest UCI-organized event.
I'd prefer not Qatar, even though crosswinds in the first half made it better than the average WC. Tour of Oman always has some good classics-like hilly stages that could be good. I don't know about options in UAE except Hotta Dam and that one mountain they always climb.

 

[RedheadDane]

I don't know about options in UAE except Hotta Dam and that one mountain they always climb.

Having them go back to UAE would be an interesting thing…

 

[BlueRoads]

From a financial viewpoint it's better to have it. From my personal view... I don't like deserts. I find them depressing. Rather have it in Thailand

 

[Mayomaniac]

The whole idea of having WT races in China and Canada durning this times seems a bit out of touch, I'd rather have the Donostia Klasikoa on a reasonable place of the calender.
If the WC gets postponed and moved to Oman or a country like this then having the Giro start one week earlier and maybe even switching Lombardia's and Roubaix place on the calendar would be reasonable. As it is now it looks like the UCI did everything they could to make ASO happy.

 

[BlueRoads]

Actually all of this feels more like a manager's game to me right now. Somehow detached from reality. But, well, they have to make plans. I'm wondering what will become true.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

From a financial viewpoint it's better to have it. From my personal view... I don't like deserts. I find them depressing. Rather have it in Thailand

Haha I do think Asia would be a good alternative for races if Europe isn't possible.

Somewhat related, it looks like there will be some live racing soon. As far as I know, the first post-lockdown Thai NE race (King's Cup) is scheduled as planned for 30 May. If so, it will be streamed and archived on the ThaiPBS YouTube.
Even better yet, I just read that the Vietnamese 23 stage(!)* Cup Truyen Hinh TP HCM (Ho Chi Minh City TV Cup) will start on 19 May. Stages are aired live (more like livestream quality) but HTV also posts good quality 20 min per stage summaries on their YouTube page. The most widely known riders in last year's race were probably Loic Desriac and Mirsamad Pourseyedi.

* Edit: Shortened to "only" 18 stages.

 

[yaco]

If you move the World's to the Middle East then Oman has the best terrain to give a wide range of riders a chance of victory.

 

[Sciatic]

If you move the World's to the Middle East then Oman has the best terrain to give a wide range of riders a chance of victory.

mid you move the WC to the Middle East, wouldn’t even many of the riders face quarantine upon return to their own country? Perhaps by then it won’t be necessary

 

[yaco]

mid you move the WC to the Middle East, wouldn’t even many of the riders face quarantine upon return to their own country? Perhaps by then it won’t be necessary

Hey if riders have to quarantine in November then you won't have any racing in 2020.

 

[RedheadDane]

If you move the World's to the Middle East then Oman has the best terrain to give a wide range of riders a chance of victory.

if they move it - and God, I hope not - then I'd say the most important thing would be to find a route that's at least somewhat similar to the original route in Switzerland. And, yeah, Oman seems like a good bet for that, from what I hear, Tour of Oman is often one of the ME races with the best, well… racing, and of course we never get to see it!

 

[Mayomaniac]

if they move it - and God, I hope not - then I'd say the most important thing would be to find a route that's at least somewhat similar to the original route in Switzerland. And, yeah, Oman seems like a good bet for that, from what I hear, Tour of Oman is often one of the ME races with the best, well… racing, and of course we never get to see it!

Even the UAE have hills in the eastern part of the country, I found this one on an Italian forum:
https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/viewtrack/345653

 

[RedheadDane]

Even the UAE have hills in the eastern part of the country, I found this one on an Italian forum:
https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/viewtrack/345653

UAE might be another alternative, but - as I mentioned above - there might be riders who'd be… hesitant about going back.

 

[del1962]

Geraint Thomas has flown to Monaco so he can train there

 

[Nirvana]

I'd sign with my blood immediately to have another WC in Qatar with echelons already with 180 kms to go instead of an hilly circuit in which almost nothing will likely happen until the last climb.

Anyway if you want to keep the race very similar you should use the hard side of Al Jabal Street that every year features in the Tour of Oman, with 3,4 kms at 8,8% is only a bit shorter and easier than the Petite Forclaz.